Wenger slates rough Rovers

20 August 2007 07:22

Arsene Wenger was left fuming by what he thought was an over-physical approach from Blackburn Rovers during Arsenal's 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.
Referee Alan Wiley issued eight yellow cards and a red to Rovers defender Ryan Nelsen during a tetchy 90 minutes, with Wenger less than impressed by the nature of the game.
He said after the stalemate: "I felt there was a desire for violence more than commitment in some of the challenges.
"We were very resilient against a team that was over-physical. We dealt well with the problem we had.
"My team showed the correct attitude and we are frustrated because we should be going home with the three points.
"But Blackburn is a difficult place to come and it is not a bad result for us."
Meanwhile, Wenger stood up for goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who let a David Dunn effort slip through his hands to earn Rovers a share of the spoils.
"Jens was really unhappy and really down in the dressing room," Wenger added.
"I did not need to tell him, though, he has made a mistake. We do not want to blame him. We want to keep the positives.
"While we conceded a bad goal, overall we dealt well with set-pieces and long balls."